History of The Wizard of Oz

Written by author L. Frank Baum, and published on May 17th, 1900, it first arrived as a children’s novel called “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Named after a library shelf labeled “O-Z”, the story was highly influenced by Lewis Carroll’s 1895 novel “Alice In Wonderland.“ Within his fantasy narrative, the author incorporated such things as his childhood fear of scarecrows, a window display that he had made out of household items, and even paid tribute to his niece Dorothy. Since its debut, it has not only become a staple of fantasy and literature, but has been reprinted countless times, and adapted in various theater plays, television specials and feature films. Join WatchMojo.com as we take a look back at the history of The Wizard of Oz.

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History of The Wizard of Oz

History of The Wizard of Oz

She’s met outrageous friends, fought off flying monkeys and even slayed a pair of witches, all while picking up a new pair of slippers! Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be taking a look back at the History of The Wizard of Oz.

Written by author L. Frank Baum, and published on May 17th, 1900, it first arrived as a children’s novel called “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Named after a library shelf labeled “O-Z”, the story was highly influenced by Lewis Carroll’s 1895 novel “Alice In Wonderland.“

Within his fantasy narrative, the author incorporated such things as his childhood fear of scarecrows, a window display that he had made out of household items, and even paid tribute to his niece Dorothy, an infant that had died from a congestion of the brain.

Since its debut, it has not only become a staple of fantasy and literature, but has been reprinted countless times, and adapted in various theatre plays, television specials and feature films.

A timeless classic about the adventures of an orphan girl named Dorothy Gale, the story is centered on her journey through the Land of Oz with her dog Toto.

Raised in Kansas by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, she was whisked away to Oz along with her family’s farmhouse by a cyclone. Once there, she lands on the Munchkin’s tyrannical ruler, the Wicked Witch of the East. Taking her magical slippers (Note: Ruby in the 1939 film, silver in the original book), she is told by the Good Witch of the North that she must seek out a wizard in the Emerald city in order to find a way home. Along her journey down the yellow brick road, Dorothy must contend with the Wicked Witch of the West. Luckily, she befriends several new friends, which include the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Tin Woodsman.

Due to the novel’s overwhelmingly positive reception and thousands of letters from children demanding a sequel, Baum continued the tale in 1904’s “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” Following this, he penned new stories, totaling 14 total installments until the time of his death in 1919.

While there had been several screen adaptations of the tales following this, it would be twenty years until MGM studios would produce the most famous adaptation to ever emerge from the series. This of course was 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. Not only making several well received changes to the source material, it featured memorable songs, dazzling special effects and the revolutionary use of Technicolor.

Of course, this was not the last time that the series would be adapted to film, though none of the later projects would become universally recognized or as beloved as MGM’s timeless classic.

These many attempts included 1978’s “The Wiz” co-starring Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, 1985’s dark and twisted unofficial sequel “Return to Oz”, and 2005’s “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.”

Despite these many attempts to bring the magic back to audiences, along with countless parodies and references to the series in popular culture, fans would only receive a proper modern retelling of the tale with 2012’s “Oz, The Great and Powerful.” Directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco, this highly anticipated sequel depicts a young illusionist’s arrival in a mythical land, his confrontation with two wicked witches, and journey to becoming hailed as a wizard.